Learn Hardcore Indonesian: Kalung abu-abu itu murah, tetapi kelihatan lucu di leher kelinci yang ganteng itu. - That gray necklace is cheap, but it looks cute on that handsome rabbit's neck.

Kalung abu-abu itu murah, tetapi kelihatan lucu di leher kelinci yang ganteng itu.

That gray necklace is cheap, but it looks cute on that handsome rabbit's neck.

Breakdown of Kalung abu-abu itu murah, tetapi kelihatan lucu di leher kelinci yang ganteng itu.

Elon.io is an online learning platform

We have an entire course teaching Indonesian grammar and vocabulary.

Start learning Indonesian now

Questions & Answers about Kalung abu-abu itu murah, tetapi kelihatan lucu di leher kelinci yang ganteng itu.

Why is abu-abu placed after kalung instead of before it, like in English “gray necklace”?

In Indonesian, adjectives usually come after the noun they describe.

kalung abu-abu = gray necklace
- kalung = necklace (noun)
- abu-abu = gray (adjective)

So the structure is typically:

noun + adjective
kalung abu-abu, baju merah, mobil besar, rumah baru

Putting the adjective before the noun (abu-abu kalung) would be ungrammatical.

What exactly does itu do in kalung abu-abu itu and kelinci yang ganteng itu? Does it mean “that” or “the”?

Itu is a demonstrative that can mean “that” or sometimes work like “the”, depending on context.

kalung abu-abu itu
- literally: that gray necklace
- can also be understood as: the gray necklace (we both know about)
kelinci yang ganteng itu
- literally: that handsome rabbit
- again, it can function like the handsome rabbit (that we’re talking about)

Position-wise:

The pattern is noun + adjective(s) + itu
- kalung abu-abu itu
- rumah besar itu
- anak kecil itu

Itu here refers backward to the entire noun phrase before it, not just the last word.

Why is there no word like “is” (e.g. adalah) in kalung abu-abu itu murah?

Indonesian usually omits a linking verb like “is/are” when linking a noun to an adjective.

Kalung abu-abu itu murah.
= That gray necklace is cheap.

The structure is:

subject (noun phrase) + adjective (as predicate)
Kalung abu-abu itu murah.
Rumah ini besar.
Makanan mereka enak.

You can use adalah before a noun phrase (e.g. Dia adalah dokter), but not before a simple adjective like murah, besar, cantik. So:

✔ Kalung abu-abu itu murah.
✘ Kalung abu-abu itu adalah murah. (sounds wrong/unnatural)

What does tetapi mean here, and how is it different from tapi?

Tetapi means “but”.

Kalung abu-abu itu murah, tetapi kelihatan lucu…
= That gray necklace is cheap, but it looks cute…

Tetapi vs tapi:

tetapi
- more formal / neutral
- common in writing, speeches, careful speech
tapi
- more informal, conversational
- very common in everyday speech

You could say:

Kalung abu-abu itu murah, tapi kelihatan lucu di leher kelinci yang ganteng itu.

Meaning is the same; the style is just slightly more casual.

What is the function of kelihatan in kelihatan lucu? Is it like “to look” or “to seem”?

Kelihatan means “to be seen / to look / to appear” in the sense of appearance.

kelihatan lucu
= looks cute / appears cute

The structure is:

kelihatan + adjective
kelihatan lucu – looks cute
kelihatan marah – looks angry
kelihatan mahal – looks expensive

In the sentence:

(Kalung itu) kelihatan lucu di leher kelinci…
= (The necklace) looks cute on the rabbit’s neck.

The subject “it” is understood from context and not stated; Indonesian often drops pronouns when they’re clear.

Does lucu mean “cute” or “funny” here?

Lucu can mean both “cute” and “funny”, depending on context.

cute / adorable
- anak itu lucu sekali. = that child is really cute.
- kucing kecil itu lucu. = that little cat is cute.
funny / amusing
- film itu lucu. = that movie is funny.
- dia lucu kalau bercerita. = he’s funny when he tells stories.

In the given sentence about a rabbit wearing a necklace, lucu most naturally means “cute”, possibly with a nuance of “looks amusing” or “looks a bit silly in a cute way.” Context decides which sense is stronger.

Why is it di leher kelinci and not something like pada leher kelinci? What’s the nuance of di here?

Di is a basic preposition meaning “at / in / on”, and with body parts it very commonly translates as “on”.

di leher kelinci = on the rabbit’s neck
di kepala = on the head
di tangan = on the hand

You can say pada leher kelinci, but:

di leher kelinci
- very natural, everyday
- sounds simple and neutral
pada leher kelinci
- more formal or bookish
- used in formal writing or scientific/medical descriptions

For normal conversation, di leher kelinci is the usual choice.

Why is it leher kelinci and not kelinci leher? How does possession work here?

In Indonesian, the thing possessed comes first, then the owner/possessor.

leher kelinci
- literally: neck rabbit
- meaning: the rabbit’s neck

Pattern:

[possessed noun] + [possessor]
rumah saya = my house
mobil dia = his/her car
kepala anjing = the dog’s head
leher kelinci = the rabbit’s neck

The English order “rabbit’s neck” is reversed in Indonesian. Saying kelinci leher would be nonsensical.

What does yang do in kelinci yang ganteng itu?

Yang introduces a relative clause or descriptive clause, linking a noun to extra information about it.

kelinci yang ganteng itu
- kelinci = rabbit
- yang ganteng = that (is) handsome
- itu = that / the one (already known)

So yang ganteng means “that is handsome / which is handsome,” and the whole phrase is:

“that rabbit who is handsome”
or more naturally: that handsome rabbit

Pattern:

noun + yang + adjective
anak yang pintar = the child who is smart / the smart child
mobil yang baru = the car that is new / the new car

When you add itu at the end, you’re pointing to a specific one both speaker and listener know.

Is it natural to use ganteng for a rabbit? I thought it was mostly for men.

Ganteng (or ganteng / gantang depending on dialect) is primarily used for male humans and means handsome / good-looking.

Using ganteng for animals is:

possible and understandable
a bit playful / personifying
often used when you treat the animal like a person (a pet you’re fond of)

For animals, you’ll also hear:

imut = cute, adorable
lucu = cute / funny
cantik = pretty (more common for females, including animals, but flexible)

So kelinci yang ganteng itu sounds like you’re talking affectionately about the rabbit, almost like he’s a handsome guy.

Could I replace kelihatan with terlihat or nampak? Would the meaning change?

Yes, you can generally replace kelihatan with terlihat or nampak, with only slight nuance differences.

Kalung abu-abu itu murah, tetapi kelihatan lucu di leher kelinci…
Kalung abu-abu itu murah, tetapi terlihat lucu di leher kelinci…
Kalung abu-abu itu murah, tetapi nampak lucu di leher kelinci…

All can mean roughly:
“That gray necklace is cheap, but it looks cute on the rabbit’s neck.”

Nuances (not strict rules):

kelihatan
- very common, neutral, everyday.
terlihat
- a bit more formal or “standard,” common in writing and careful speech.
nampak
- slightly more literary or regional in feel, depending on dialect.

In normal use, they’re often interchangeable.

Why is there no word for “it” in the second clause, like “but it looks cute…”?

Indonesian often omits subject pronouns when they’re clear from context.

The full idea in English:

That gray necklace is cheap, but it looks cute on the neck of that handsome rabbit.

In Indonesian it becomes:

Kalung abu-abu itu murah, tetapi kelihatan lucu di leher kelinci yang ganteng itu.
(literally: That gray necklace cheap, but looks cute on neck of that handsome rabbit.)

The subject “it” is understood to still be kalung abu-abu itu from the first clause, so it doesn’t need to be repeated. This kind of omission is very common and natural in Indonesian.

How would I make this plural, like “Those gray necklaces are cheap, but they look cute on those handsome rabbits’ necks”?

Indonesian doesn’t require plural endings; it uses context, optionally reduplication, or words like para / banyak / semua.

One natural way:

Kalung-kalung abu-abu itu murah, tetapi kelihatan lucu di leher-leher kelinci yang ganteng itu.

Breakdown:

kalung-kalung = necklaces (reduplicated noun = plural feel)
leher-leher = necks
kelinci yang ganteng itu could be singular or plural depending on context; if you want to emphasize plural rabbits, you can say:
- para kelinci yang ganteng itu = those handsome rabbits (more formal)
- kelinci-kelinci yang ganteng itu = those handsome rabbits (colloquial plural via reduplication)

You could also keep it simpler and rely on context:

Kalung abu-abu itu murah, tetapi kelihatan lucu di leher kelinci yang ganteng itu.

This can be understood as singular or plural depending on what’s being talked about. Context usually makes it clear.